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Staff Profile

Dr Peter Helm

Research Associate

  • Address: School of Engineering
    Drummond Building
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne
Background


Background

I am currently employed as a research associate on the EPSRC funded ACHILLES project with my work primarily focussed on the modelling of the deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure subject to annual weather cycles.

I am a geotechnical engineer with experience in the computer modelling of shallow mining subsidence (as part of my PhD) and I have since undertaken hydrological and mechanical modelling of slopes and slope stability.

During my time at Newcastle University, I have worked as a research assistant on the BIONICS project, In 2011 I undertook a 1 year secondment into the geotechnics group of ARUP's Newcastle office working on slope stability modelling and then worked as an assistant lecturer teaching on both undergraduate and postgraduate modules in geotechnical engineering. From 2013 to 2018 I worked as a research associate on the EPSRC funded iSMART project.

Recent Publications

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6866-5568

Morsy A, Helm P, El-Hamalawi A, Smith A, Hughes P, Stirling R, Dijkstra T, Dixon N, Glendinning S. (2023). Development of a Multi-Phase Numerical Modeling Approach for Hydromechanical Behavior of Clay Embankments Subject to Weather-Driven Deterioration. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. 149(8):04023062. https://doi.org/10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11213

Postill, H., Helm, P.R., Dixon, N., El-Hamalawi, A., Glendinning, S., Take, W.A. (2023). Strength parameter selection framework for evaluating the design life of clay cut slopes. Proc. ICE – Geotechnical Engineering. 176(3):254–273. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeen.21.00125

Svalova, A., Helm, P., Prangle, D., Rouainia, M., Glendinning, S., Wilkinson, D.J. (2021). Emulating computer experiments of transport infrastructure slope stability using Gaussian processes and Bayesian inference. Data-Centric Engineering. 2, E12. https://doi.org/10.1017/dce.2021.14

Postill, H., Helm, P.R., Dixon, N., Glendinning, S., Smethurst, J.A., Rouainia, M., Briggs, K.M., El-Hamalawi, A., Blake, A.P. (2021). Forecasting the long-term deterioration of a cut slope in high-plasticity clay using a numerical model. Engineering Geology. 280:105912. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105912

Stirling, R.A., Toll, D.G., Glendinning, S., Helm, P.R., Yildiz, A., Hughes, P.N., Asquith, J.D. (2021). Weather-driven deterioration processes affecting the performance of embankment slopes. Géotechnique. 71(11):957-969. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.19.SiP.038

Rouainia, M., Helm, P., Davies, O., Glendinning, S. (2020). Deterioration of an infrastructure cutting subjected to climate change. Acta Geotechnica. 15(10):2997–3016. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00965-1

Reviewer

Invited Speaker

  • Modelling deterioration in cut slopes: Geotechnical Asset Owners Forum (April 2021)
  • ACHILLES - Deterioration of long linear assets: Geotechnical Asset Owners Forum (Nov 2019)
  • Modelling the deterioration of infrastructure slopes: TC208 Workshop, XVII European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Reykjavik Iceland (Sept 2019)

Qualifications

  • 2002 - BSc - Geology - Durham University
  • 2004 - MSc - Geotechnical Engineering - Newcastle University
  • 2011 - PhD - Analysis of the stability of shallow abandoned colliery workings - Newcastle University

Memberships

  • Fellow of the Geological Society
  • Member of the British Geotechnical Association
  • TUD COST Action TU1202 member

Grants / Awards

  • Co-organiser of an International Training School entitled ‘The Vadose Zone Workshop’. An event for European Early Stage Researchers convened at Durham University (15,000 EUR) - Responsible for the numerical modelling component of the workshop
  • Awarded funding to undertake a collaborative scoping study into improving the derivation of vegetation parameters for numerical modelling (£9910)

Teaching

I have experience of teaching on the following undergraduate Civil Engineering and postgraduate MSc Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology modules:

  • CEG2201: Geotechnics
  • CEG2001: Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 2
  • CEG3001: Design of Sustainable Engineering Systems 3
  • CEG8201: Geomechanics
  • CEG8202: Ground Investigation - Design, Principles and Practice
  • CEG8208: Geotechnical Design
Research

Research to date has focussed on applied computational geomechanics to investigate shallow mining subsidence as well as rainfall induced slope instability, using software such as the FDM and FEM codes FLAC 3D and PLAXIS as well as LE codes such as SLOPE.

Currently I am working on the EPSRC funded ACHILLES project with my work primarily focussed on the modelling of the deterioration of geotechnical infrastructure subject to annual weather cycles 

At present I am focussing on modelling work having helped develop the work packages for the Simulation and Modelling theme in phase 2 of the project.

My typical work involves the modelling of the effects of meteorological parameters on pore water pressures in infrastructure slopes and how this in turn affects their stability. This is primarily undertaken with the hydrological code SHETRAN and the geomechanics modelling code FLAC (with the two phase flow add on to allow the modelling of partially saturated flow behaviour).

In the past I worked as a research associate on the ESPRC iSMART project and as a research assistant on the BIONICS project (Biological and engineering impacts of climate on slopes) and was seconded into a consultancy firm where I undertook validation of their finite element software for use in slope stability analysis.

Publications